Last Week in the MTC

This is me (in front of our cute wall) when I found my temple recommend and was really happy!

Hola!!!

This is my last week in the MTC and I am going to make the most out of it! Honestly, this past week was really hard for me. Hermana Taylor has been having severe back problems (so pray for her!) and I haven't been able to go to class since last Thursday. So, it's extra hard to learn Spanish without a teacher and classmates. On Saturday she collapsed in the cafeteria at breakfast. We have had to go to several appointments and she was in a wheelchair for much of this week. THE MTC IS NOT WHEELCHAIR FRIENDLY. So, that has been hard. I am really sore from pushing her up hills and from carrying her chair up to our room on the third floor (no elevator.) And I didn't sleep much this week because I had to get up with her and help her do things. But, I am here to serve. I know a lot of times I will be serving my companion. But, I was really stressed out trying to help her, trying to fulfill my calling as Sister Training Leader (there are always problems I have to help solve and we had to prepare for 18 new missionaries to come into our zone,) I had to study Spanish alone, and my dad got laid off at work this week so I was thinking about home (I would appreciate it if everyone could also pray for him to find a new job soon!)

Here is one of the cute signs we have on our wall "go forth and be fabulous!" 

On Sunday I was very overwhelmed. We were at the Sunday night devotional and an elder played "Be Still My Soul" as a piano solo. I was sitting there listening to it and I got really angry thinking about it. I was mad that I was here, putting my life on hold for the Lord, and I thought that He was not on my side and was not helping me. At that moment I prayed for strength and to know that He was there and cared about me. I was overcome with the most overwhelming feeling of comfort. I knew that I needed to get over myself a little bit. The Lord is mindful of me, and I am going through a hard time right now because we have to go through trials in life. We are here to learn. If I want to teach other people about Christ's atonement, I need to feel 1/100000 what he felt. I am so grateful for this knowledge. Knowing Heavenly Father is real and is there does not mean we won't go through hard times, it means that because we can rely on Him it is a little easier to see the end result. Later that night we were watching a movie about Joseph Smith. During the movie Emma, his wife, asks him "Do you think the Lord asks too much of us?" and he answers "no." Joseph Smith had to go through so much! He was constantly persecuted. The saints were forced to leave their homes every few years because of persecution. Right after this question was asked, he had to say goodbye to his family and go off to Carthage, where he was murdered.That humbled me a lot. Later I was preparing to teach the First Vision. I turned to James 1:5 to read what inspired Joseph to pray. But, I saw what I had marked in James 1:3 "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." During trials we can be happy and we can look for the things we need to learn instead of focusing on ourselves.


I tried to put this into practice this morning. Hna Taylor and I were getting ready to go to the temple. I realized my temple recommend had fallen out of my pocket. I panicked! I retraced my steps and walked all over the MTC trying to find it. I looked for over an hour. I searched all of the lost and founds and could not find it! I wanted to go to the temple! I needed to go to the temple this morning! So I started thinking about what I needed to do and what I was supposed to learn from this. I still don't know, but maybe Hna Taylor needed to walk around a bit more, maybe my patience needed to be tested, maybe one of the names (I handed out during our search to others leaving for the temple) really wanted to have their work done today. I had told Hna Andreason I couldn't find it anywhere. Later she told me this story. She sat down to breakfast with her companion, she prayed and said "Heavenly Father, Hna Bettridge has been having a hard week and really needs to go to the temple today. I am going to eat my breakfast and then I am going to walk to (a particular) lost and found. So, while I am eating I need the person that picked it up to go turn it in there." After she ate, she walked to that lost and found (I had just checked there too, there are like 20 lost and founds here) picked it up, and brought it to me. I know that when we pray, we need to be specific. Heavenly Father knows us personally and listens to us. Maybe it got lost because Hna Andreason's testimony of prayer needed to be strengthened today, I don't know. But, I got to go to the temple and it was amazing.


Anyway, sorry for the long email! I hope everyone has a great week!


Love,


Hermana Bettridge

This is me, Hna Taylor, and Hna Andreason. We are the three in our district going to Houston! We are wearing our matching mission shirts.